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This Mixed Add Subtract drill has 40 problems for Grade 2. Haunted House theme. Answer key included.
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Max discovered ghostly numbers floating through the haunted mansion. He must solve every equation before midnight strikes!
Standard: CCSS.MATH.2.OA.B.2
By second grade, students need to move beyond simple addition or subtraction problems to tackle both operations in a single problem—a skill that mirrors how their brains naturally solve real-world puzzles. When your child counts their Halloween candy, adds a few pieces found under the couch, then subtracts what they trade away, they're doing mixed-add-subtract without realizing it. This standard builds computational fluency and helps children see numbers as flexible tools rather than rigid sequences. At ages 7-8, students are developing working memory and can now hold multiple steps in their minds while solving. Mastering mixed operations strengthens their number sense, boosts confidence with fact families, and prepares them for multi-step word problems in third grade. Practicing these drills helps automaticity, so children can solve quickly and accurately without counting on fingers.
Many second graders either ignore the second operation entirely or flip the order of operations—for example, solving 12 + 3 - 2 as 12 - 3 + 2 because subtraction 'comes after' in their view. Another common error is forgetting their intermediate answer; a student adds 5 + 6 = 11, but then loses track and subtracts from the original 5 instead of 11. Watch for students who pause noticeably between the first and second step, as this often signals they've dropped the intermediate result from working memory. You can spot these patterns by asking them to say their first answer aloud before moving to the second operation.
Create a simple 'haunted house' scenario at home: start with a number of toys or snacks, add some, then remove some, asking your child to tell you the final count after each step. For example, 'We have 8 ghost stickers, find 5 more, then give away 3—how many left?' Have them say each answer aloud (8 + 5 = 13, then 13 - 3 = 10) to reinforce the two-step thinking. This concrete, hands-on approach helps children internalize the rhythm of mixed operations in a way that feels like play rather than drill.